Beyond the Cold
by badriddance
Summary: Garou kinfolk and a Pu'gwis changeling cross paths after a plot to kidnap Kin from every tribe goes south. Part of a much more rambling tale.


Another of the 31days LJ collection. The day's theme was 'you impersonate a person better than a zombie should'. It's about Garou kinfolk and a Pu'gwis changeling. Penny is a BoneGnawer's granddaughter. The other two are a Child of Gaia child and a Glasswalker's youngest son. The whole story was much more involved, but this was my favorite part. It stands alone pretty well.

Penny knew her best bet was to find a spot out of the wind, leave the kids there, and then try to get to help on her own. But they wouldn't understand. They were scared and cold and lost and hungry. If she left them, they might die just from despair. They had found an old building with half the roof caved in. Maybe it had been a hunting cabin or ranger station at some point. The three and half walls kept most of the wind off. It was as good a place to die as any.

She hated that thought. She had always been a survivor. But she was realistic too. They had been kidnapped and had escaped into the woods. It was winter and they weren't dressed for it. There was a lot of snow on the ground and the wind was howling. They didn't have food or any idea where they were.

She hadn't been able to find anything that could burn even if she would be able to get a fire started. There had been some rotting carpet frozen on the floor that she had been able to pry up. The two kids found the warmest corner and Penny used the frozen sheet of carpet to make a lean-to over them. Then, she crawled in with them and they huddled together.

It was better than the first night. The first night the little boy hadn't been able to stop crying. He was silent now. The girl was a little older. She had understood better, but neither of them knew why they had been taken. Penny did. She wasn't sure why they had bothered with her. She was way too old. If she was going to Change, it would've happened by now. If they knew anything about Garou, they would know that.

And then there was that little thing that was always popping up in the corners of her vision.  
It had been following them since they had crossed the river. It was small, not as tall as the boy, and had long hair that looked almost like dreadlocks. Penny had gotten a closer look at it the night before when it had crept up to peer at them.

It had looked like a child cadaver. Its skin was gray and shriveled, clinging to the all-too visible bones. Penny knew that there were spirits in the world, scary ones sometimes. She was assuming that was what this one was. She wasn't her grandfather though. She didn't know how to tell what kind it was or what it might want. Maybe it was some cold little spirit of winter. Maybe that's what they would all be by morning.

Penny had her back to a corner. The girl was in her lap, holding the boy. She couldn't remember their names and felt bad about that. Something that started with an S. Sam? Sarah? Something. She was tired. She had heard that you started to feel warm when you were about to freeze to death. Her body was still throbbing from the cold. Her hands and feet were burning with it. Maybe she wasn't so close to death after all. Still, she felt a little delirious.

The two children seemed to be asleep. Penny hoped they'd wake up. Then, she noticed the tiny form crouched in the snow a few feet away. It was the little zombie child again. She could see its weak, watery eyes peering through the matted hair. It looked naked, but the hair was so long and ratty and the skin so withered, it was hard to be sure. It was definitely barefoot. Penny could see its skeletal little toes digging into the snow.

Poor little thing, she found herself thinking. It's probably colder than I am.

"Hey," she said. Her voice sounded rough and hoarse. "Always room for one more." It took so much effort to pull her numb arm off the girl's back that she settled for a beckoning gesture of the fingers. The thing seemed to hesitate, but then it crept closer. It lost its nerve for a second, which struck Penny as funny, considering.

"Come on," she told it. She was talking to the zombie child as if it was a puppy, which would've made her smile if her face wasn't so numb. It came the rest of the way and gingerly reached out to touch Penny's hand.

As dead and frightful as it looked, its hand was warm. Very warm. It curled up next to Penny, squirming between her and the boy and laid its head on her chest. I should be screaming, Penny thought. It's ghastly. Who knows what it will do to us.

She was getting sleepy now. And warmth was seeping over her from where the thing was touching her. It was happening then. They were freezing to death. She had known that would probably happen. It wasn't really the thing's fault. She was going to go to sleep and not wake up. There were probably worse ways to go.

She could move her arm a little better now so she curled it around the thing too. It might've smiled, or maybe she just got a clearer look at the skull. It didn't matter. If the thing was a little Death, it was a gentle one. Penny let her head droop to rest her cheek against the thing's brow. It didn't smell like anything, which was a relief. It raised a withered hand to touch her hair, even as her eyes closed.

When the search party found the missing Kinfolk, they found Penny still curled in a ball with the kids. There was no sign of the pu'gwis, but there was a circle around the Kin where the snow had melted. Even the air was warm. The carpet had thawed and was draped over them like a blanket. It rose and fell with their breathing. It was so pleasant that the searchers took a moment to warm themselves in the spot before they woke them up.


End file.
